The General Data Protection Regulation

8th February 2016, London: Comet Global Consulting announces its stance on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will come into effect on 25th May 2018 and will bring significant changes to data protection rules backed up by massive fines (Up to 4% of turnover). The aim of this new regulation is to create a more unified data protection law framework for all EU countries and businesses by enhancing the data protection rights of EU data subjects and enabling a free flow of data across the EU. Organisations will be expected to align their data management policies and practices through the strict measures that will be brought about by the GDPR, and although many businesses might believe they are prepared, these new regulations and their potential impact on businesses are certainly not something to be considered lightly.

At Comet, our overall priority is always our customers and we will continue to provide advice and assistance throughout the transition period when the GDPR comes into play. We will be releasing a white paper in the near future detailing our readiness toolkit approach which will identify articles in the regulation that will have an impact on our customers and their business. By combining our experience and expertise on the subject, we will analyse the possible impact, determine the right approach and help to deliver the transformation that ensures compliance, embeds data privacy and generates additional business benefits.

James Moore, Head of Data Practice Comet Global Consulting said, “GDPR, the pending EU’s data protection reform, is undoubtedly a significant challenge to all organisations that collect, manage and use personal data. It does, however, present a major transformational opportunity to address data protection and wider management vulnerabilities within technical and operational controls, while enabling the transition to an insight led omni-channel engagement that is built trust and transparency, building a better customer relationship, where the individual’s needs are put first. With fines of up to 20 million euros, organisations simply cannot afford so rise to the challenge, seize this opportunity and make this transformation and quickly, as it’s less than 14 months to go.”

About Comet Global Consulting: Comet Global Consulting – the customer interaction experts, specialises in supporting the successful implementation of CRM, marketing and decision management solutions. Comet delivers complex, real world, inbound and outbound marketing and customer management technology solutions ensuring that marketing reaches the right customers at the moments that most influence their decisions. Comet has a proven track record from many years of experience in translating marketing requirements into practical technology implementations for global customer service focused enterprises.

Comet Global Consulting has grown quickly and now employs more than 300 people across four continents and manages complex projects from their Customer Interaction Centres in Atlanta, USA and Barcelona, Spain; providing on-site and near-shore consultants to manage the most complex projects. Comet has delivered more than 200 projects to 20+ of the world’s biggest names in media, mobile communications, financial services and retail. Comet partners with world leading marketing technology platform suppliers including IBM, Pegasystems, SAS and Teradata. The focus is to deliver outstanding results using innovative, best practice project delivery methodologies with exceptional value for money.

Merkle is a global data-driven, technology-enabled performance marketing agency and the largest independent agency in the US for CRM, digital, and search. For more than 25 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency’s heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights. When combined with its strength in performance media, Merkle creates customer experiences that drive improved marketing performance and shareholder value. With more than 3,000 employees, the privately held corporation is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland with 14 additional offices in the US and offices in London, Shanghai, and Nanjing. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.